An Expert in Comforting
by Aquen
Summary: Gilbert rushes to find Oz, needing to make sure that his master is all right. However a run in with Alice throws him off track as she is determined to do something about Gilbert's strange behavior.


A_h... is this a crack couple? Or is it considered legitimate? Not as legitimate as Alice and Oz but Alice and Gil have had some moments that could be considered as making them a possible couple... right? Well I think I've decide... I like Alice and Gil better than Alice and Oz. The dynamics between Alice and Gil are much better, Oz is just annoying to begin with and he and Alice just don't have all that interesting of a relationship... now Alice and Gil, they're always bickering and their relationship is much more interesting together! How about this... Alice and Gil can be together and Oz and Echo can be together! Sounds good!_

_**Spoilers**__**: Chapter 33, see! Isn't this perfect, I'm writing a Gilbert and Alice pairing fanfic after what happens in chapter 33 which hints at a pairing between Oz and Echo! :3 Perfect!**_

_**Disclaimer**__**: I do not own Pandora Hearts (If I did Gil and **__**Alice**__** would be an official couple, and Oz wouldn't even have a chance...)**_

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><p>The streets were crowded, the clamor of people twittering on about the beautiful fireworks as incessant as cicadas on a summer evening. The smell of food and perfumes bombarded the sense of smell, while the swirl of various bright colored dresses, vivid masks and blue feathers turned the streets into a throbbing mass of a visual cacophony.<p>

Gilbert pushed through the crowd, uncaring as the women gasped and threw back rude remarks, uncaring as the men shouted after him. Gilbert pushed through the crowd, needing to find his master. The ghost of the throbbing pain in his right hand could still be felt, such a pulsing pain and had made him drop to the floor in agony. He had to find Oz; he had to make sure that…

A sharp pain pierced through his mind, drawing him to a halt before food stands. He leaned heavily against the wooden stake holding up the canopy to some stall, the annoyed shouts from the owner falling on deaf ears.

His mind swirled in confusion, the pain in his hand, the fear of what happened, and the words his brother spoke swirling together into a ache and confusion that would not go away. He did not know what to think, he did not know what to do…

"Oi," The voice pierced through Gilbert's clouded thoughts, angry and with a tone of command in it. "Seaweed head, what are you doing at my stall?"

Gilbert turned his head to the side, seeing Alice with her arms crossed over her chest and looking at him with obvious disdain.

Vincent's words echoed in his mind, disjointed and fragmented words spoken with laughter. _Kill her… save your master… kill that girl… kill…_

Alice's frown deepened. "Hey! I don't like being ignored!"

Gilbert blinked, Vincent's words disappearing in an instant. The words that seemed to strange and idiotic but yet…

"Your stall?"

Alice gave a sharp nod. "The best meat stall I've come by!"

Gilbert stared at her for a moment, her words slowly processing. Then something else clicked in his mind, something much more important.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Oz?" Gilbert straightened up, facing Alice and pointing an accusing finger at her. "Where is Oz?"

Alice cocked and eyebrow than shrugged, looking away from Gilbert with a bored expression. "How should I know? He ran off somewhere …"  
>Gilbert ground his teeth, wanting to accuse Alice of loosing Oz, but Oz was always like that, it was hardly fair to blame Alice for that.<p>

"Aren't you supposed to be escorted by Pandora members? Where are they?"

Alice looked back at Gilbert, smirking with pleasure. "Do you really think I'd stay with that pathetic bunch?"

Gilbert wanted to explode at her, call her all kinds of names and blame everything on her; instead he just turned away and began walking forward.

"Tch, whatever." He muttered, eyes roving the crowd for either Oz or the members of Pandora.

The patter of feet came from behind, he quickened his pace and the patter quickened.

"Oi! Seaweed head!" Alice tried to keep pace with him, her shorter legs working overtime to keep up with his long pace. Gilbert made no indication that he even realized she was there. "Don't just ignore me!"

From past experience he knew Alice would not leave him alone until she had a decent fight with him.

He did not have time for that.

"Alice." Gilbert stopped, Alice walking a few steps until she was beside him, her head craned up to look at his face. His voice was low and serious. "I need to find Oz. Please… either leave me alone or help me."

Alice frowned up at Gilbert than strode forward, flipping her hair over her shoulder with an air of dignity. "You should use your brains seaweed head, if you have any."  
>Gilbert glared up at her.<p>

"This festival thing is nearly over." Alice looked up at the sky, the last few drifts of smoke from the colorful fireworks slipping away into the dark night sky. "I'm sure Oz will be heading back for home, why do you need to look for him here, just go back and wait for him."  
>Gilbert hated to admit it but she had a point. The likelihood of him finding Oz in this colorful crowd was slim, it would be better just to wait but…<p>

"Hey…" Alice was suddenly a few inches from him, standing on tiptoes, hardly coming up to his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

Gilbert's eyes widened at the sudden closeness, Alice's purple eyes looked up at him with a hint of concern. He backed away quickly, nearly knocking into a group of ladies. Alice raised an eyebrow, lowering herself back to her flat feet.

"Of course nothing's wrong!" Gilbert replied quickly, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. How could he tell her that Oz's needle might have moved? That he was contemplating the benefits of her being dead? No, Gilbert closed his eyes tightly and pushed those thoughts from his mind. That wasn't what he was thinking!

"You're acting weird." Alice murmured thoughtfully, Gilbert snapped his eyes back open. Alice's mouth twisted into a strange frown. "What's wrong with you?"

"I told you nothing!" Gilbert turned abruptly and pushed his way through the crowd, trying to get away from Alice, away from the crowd, to somewhere quite where he could arrange all the thoughts crowding into his mind.

"Raven!" Alice cried, trying to come after him. "Wait!" Gilbert pushed away from her, to a back alley where there were fewer people; he walked onward, trying to get to the place where it would only be him.

But Alice followed.

"You're being a terrible servant." She growled, jogging to keep up with him. "You can't just leave me like that!"

Gilbert ignored her, walking forward, past a giggling couple and further into the darkness descending in the alley. Still Alice followed.

"Oi! Are you still ignoring me?" Alice growled, her footsteps echoing louder then Gilbert's. "I'll have to teach you a lesson, you can't just ignore me!"

Something snapped. The weight of the confusion in his mind, the wish to be alone and the fact that Alice was so oblivious to everything finally pushed Gilbert further than he had wanted to go.

He stopped abruptly, Alice reeling back so she wouldn't run into him. He turned glairing intensely at the girl behind him. Alice blinked, obvious that she had not expected to elicit such a response from Gilbert.

"Shut up!" He yelled at her, his voice ricocheting angrily through the alleyway. "Just shut up and leave me alone! Don't you get it? Is this all a game to you? You're only here at the expense of Oz, at least realize your position more!"

Alice barred her teeth like a feral animal.

"I need to realize my position?" She growled voice as angry as Gilbert's. "I do realize it more than you think! What do you think I've been doing all this time? I've been working hard to protect Oz! I've been doing it better than you ever could!"

Gilbert grabbed her collar and slammed her against the wall. Alice gasped at the impact of her back against the brick, her head craning up as pain spread up her body.

"You're the one killing him!" He shouted at her. "Every time that stupid seal moves! How am I supposed to protect my master when you're killing him? You'll take him away from me!"

Alice's eyes widened her body limp and looking as pathetic as any normal girl her age. Gilbert immediately regretted all his actions up to that point, starting from when he had first reunited with Alice at the festival. His grip on her collar loosened, he slowly backed away, glare falling into a look of utter shock.

_You can save your master just by killing that girl!_

Gilbert winced as the words echoed through his mind. He couldn't think that way! He couldn't kill…

Small arms reached up and wrapped around his neck, drawing him downward. Gilbert collapsed; falling to his knees with a thud, the thin arms drew tighter around his neck, choking him.

"A-alice!" He gasped, trying to catch his breath. Alice frowned at him, her face level with his, her cheek touching against his. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, growing tighter as did her choking hold. Her body was pressed against his, kneeling with him, drawing herself up onto his legs so she could remain eye level with the taller man.

Gilbert tried to push her away but Alice tightened her hold around his neck, stopping him abruptly as he gasped for breath.

"What are you doing?" He rasped out, eyes closing shut from the view of soft brown hair.

"What do you think idiot?" Alice muttered her voice heavier than usual, a bit of uncomfortableness settled in it. "I'm comforting you."

"C-choking me?" Gilbert reached up and wrapped his hands around her thin arms, trying to pry them away from his neck.

"Hugging you."

Gilbert stopped abruptly, heart beating faster, the words echoing in his mind and chasing away the troubling thoughts.

"Hugging?"

Alice's grip loosened just a bit. "A hug is supposed to be a comfort right?"

"This isn't a hug!" Gilbert took a quick breath as the choke hold loosened a little more. "You're choking me."

"But you wrap your arms around the person right!" Alice asked quickly, hunching her shoulders and trying to squeeze harder around his neck.

"Around the chest!" Gilbert quickly said, not wanting to be chocked anymore.

Alice's grip instantly loosened, much to Gilbert's relief. She drew back a little, looking at Gilbert with big purple orbs, her face slightly flushed. Gilbert's breath hitched in his throat, his own face growing red. Alice leaned forward again, arms this time wrapped around his chest, pressing her own chest against his, her arms sliding up his back against his shoulders, drawing herself against him once more.

Gilbert froze, face heating up to a deep red as Alice laid her head against his shoulder.

_Perhaps… you've already developed feelings for her?_

Gilbert inwardly flinched at the words that cropped up suddenly in his blank mind.

Feelings… no, it was impossible, Gilbert had only ever seen her as the stupid rabbit, no feelings of friendship or anything else had ever been entertained.

"Is that… comforting?" Alice's voice was so close, low and whispered directly into his ear. If it was possible Gilbert's face became even redder.

His heart was beating fast, and he couldn't help but be aware of the way her body lay around his, the body heat he could feel passing between them.

No feelings… he did not care in the least about her.

Alice shifted, her kneecaps drawing closer against his hips, her arms tightening around his chest.

"Well?" She growled, her head shifting away from his ear, her long hair brushing against his jaw. "I don't like being ignored…"

Gilbert broke from the stunned stillness that had come over him. He balled his hands into fists, his arms hanging limply at his sides.

"It's very uncomfortable." He managed to force out.

"Uncomfortable!" Alice drew back quickly, hands sliding across his back as she drew them away. She looked at him angrily; hands held in fists before her. Her slightly red face now flushed with anger. She sat on his legs, knees pressed harder against his hips. "You stupid seaweed head!"

"You're the one who doesn't know anything about comforting someone!" Gilbert retaliated, trying to ignore the fact that she was still sitting on his legs, her feet drumming against his kneecaps as she tried to contain her anger.

"But that's what the book said!" Alice thumped her fists against Gilbert's chest twice in annoyance. "I know lots about giving people comfort! That's why you're all red right!"

"I-I'm not all red!" Gilbert retorted, the comment making him blush even more. Alice growled and punched Gilbert's chest once more.

"Yes it is!" Stubborn as usual.

"Just get off of me." Gilbert muttered and stood up abruptly, sending Alice who had previously been perched on his legs onto her but.

"Och!" Alice winced as Gilbert brushed off his pants, trying to cool down his head and stop his fastly beating heart. No feelings… of course there were no feelings…

"You idiot!" Alice hastily clambered to her feet and glared up at Gilbert. "I tried to comfort you and this is what you do in return? I'm never comforting you again!" She turned abruptly and stormed off, muttering things about seaweed heads and being a guru when it came to comforting.

Gilbert watched her stomp off, still trying to calm his beating heart. He had no feelings for that stupid rabbit, but still his heart beat and his face flushed red. He tried to come up with an excuse but none presented itself.

But he had no feelings for her! Especially not lo-

Gilbert's face heated up once more, eyes widening in the direction his thoughts were heading. Of course he wasn't in love with the stupid rabbit that was just idiotic! How could he love such a short little girl who was only good at being annoying?

Gilbert pushed his hand into his hair, trying to forget what had just happened, trying to push the memory of her pressed against him from his mind, trying to still his fast beating heart, trying to ignore the words his brother had spoken…

Gilbert slowly closed his eyes and sighed, his heart beat slowing to normal as his thought returned to normal as well. The silence settled around him, Alice having stomped off away from him and leaving peace in her place. As the stillness settled around him Gilbert once more reminded himself what he needed to do.

Find Oz, Alice had sidetracked him long enough.

Though Gilbert had to admit one thing, Alice's 'comforting' had calmed his mind of the confusion that had been throbbing inside of it. But she had left it questioning completely new things.

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><p><em>I really just wrote this on the spur of the moment, because I felt like writing something and I've recently become more interested in Gilbert and Alice as a couple... so yeah... random... I don't much care for the ending ... but I can't really think of a a different way to end it... anyway, I hope someone enjoyed it!<em>


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